


Playing God

by strawberryhyun020805



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-03 08:53:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11528844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryhyun020805/pseuds/strawberryhyun020805
Summary: A brutalized corpse of an infamous criminal suspect was found ditched in a dark alleyway. Detective Kim Myungsoo, with the help of Forensic Psychologist Dr. Kim Sunggyu, sets out to find out the person responsible for it.With some speculations and the evidences they gathered, they all singlehandedly point to one person: the famous clinical psychologist, Dr. Nam Woohyun.Is Woohyun really the Reaper? Or is it someone who's just trying to shift the blame on him?





	1. The Grim Reaper

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted from AFF. (Still on-going)

Psychologist by day, Grim Reaper by night.

 

That's what he has done these past few months. He doesn't know when he actually started or when he felt like some people aren't punished enough for their crimes.

 

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Old but gold.

 

He thinks that if one lives accordingly, he would be blessed with nirvana or something akin to that. Otherwise, that someone deserves hell. Karma, he's such a huge fan of that.

 

Sure, the South Korean police task force has greatly improved now as compared to before but there are still a lot who stays hidden in the dark, safe in their cocoons, not a care about the lives they had destroyed.

 

And that's why he's doing this. He's just defending the humanity. Restoring balance, and preventing their sordid crimes to continue.

 

He watched as his latest victim, or he'd rather call as a walking dead soul, confidently traipsed along the streets. This man is the fifth - or is it already the sixth? - man on his list. 

 

He made his move and silently walked towards the man. He had his head low, he can't afford to be seen by other people (though he knows the coast is clear), he's quite a well-known person in his field. 

 

He continued walking with his head low until he bumped into his victim and heard a loud grunt plus a string of curses directed at him.

 

"What the actual fvck dude?! You better watch where you're going. You don't want to find yourself dead in a ditch, do you?!" The other man screamed at him.

 

He, on the other hand, stood still with his head bowed down. He just let the man shove him rather harshly, demanding to raise his head up and look him in the eye. The man grabbed him by the collar and shook him until he slowly raised his head up, and the man froze.

 

In front of him stood the creepiest man with the coldest eyes, and the smirk he was sporting added to the chill that he felt now. He immediately let go of the man's shirt and looked around him, looking for other people that might help him if anything happens.

 

He was shocked when the man eerily laughed at him, so cold and hollow that he felt it permeate into his bones. 

"What are you so afraid of, huh? Aren't you cursing a while ago? What's that scared-y cat look in your eyes? Hmm.."   
The Grim Reaper now stepped closer to the other man, slowly invading his personal space until the said man fiddled with his shirt's collar and tugged it suddenly.

"You don't deserve to wear that look. After everything you have done, do you really think you have the right to feel afraid? You sold your soul to the devil when you killed your own daughter in front of your wife... And I am here to collect it."

 

The man came back to his senses after hearing what was said, and he attempted to turn back and run, to try and scream for help. But the Grim Reaper was much faster.

He saw something shiny got caught in the light and the next second, he felt blood oozing from his throat. He hastily put his hand to cover it up and prevent blood from continuously flowing out but the Grim Reaper has no mercy. He slashed the man's hands away from the neck and then tugged him by his collar.

 

"Isn't this how you killed your daughter? Slitting her throat in front of your wife like a goddamn chicken?!! Did she try to scream like you're doing now? Did she look at you with eyes full of unshed tears, begging for you to stop?! Did you know how much she was in pain at that time? Well now, you'd know. Cause that's exactly what I'm going to do with you."

The man's face was fear stricken and morphed into an ugly contortion because of the pain.

The Grim Reaper made a shallow slit on the other side of his neck, and then with his bare hands picked the sallow skin and began to slowly pull it down, exposing more blood and sinews from the man who's now struggling and in pain. 

 

The man looked at him in the eyes and with all his might mustered up a few words..

 

"Please... Please spare me. Please... I-I.. I will do whatever you want. Money? Do you w-want money? Tell me how much and I-I'll make s-sure it gets d-delivered to you. Just please, spare me. I pr-promise I w-won't tell anyone. P-please!.."

The man coughed up blood but still continued to spout out words of request.

The Grim Reaper looked at him in disgust and even pulled on the skin harder, the exposed sinews now reaching until his collarbone, nearing his chest and the spot where his skin is fully covered by his shirt.

 

"Wrong choice of words. Your kind always disgusts me." He then made a slash on the man's left arm and repeated the process on the other arm. He looked at the pained face and smiled with satisfaction.

 

"You deserve this and even worse for what you have done. This is just the first stage of pain. This is nothing compared to what you'll experience in hell. I am sure you'll rot in there."

He used both his hands on each arm as he peeled the slashed skin off, while the man tried to scream.. but to no avail. He saw how the man has lost a significant amount of blood and his breathing has slowly turned shallow.

 

His end is near, the Grim Reaper thought.

Now for the final touch...

 

The Grim Reaper reached for the man's jeans and though the man wants to complain and struggle, he's already lost too much blood and hope. He's going to die, he's really going to die now, he thought.

 

The Reaper unbuttoned his jeans and slowly pulled down his pants along with his boxer, exposing his manhood. The man's eyes widened when he realized what's about to be done to his precious treasure.

 

He looked at his wide eyes and smirked at the now pale man, "This is your punishment."

And then he slashed against his manhood, effectively castrating him and with all the pain, he managed to let out a  blood-curdling scream which resulted to him throwing up lots and lots of blood.

 

"Goodbye... And say Hello to the Devil for me when you get there."

 

The now bloody man watched as the man, the famous psychologist, the Grim Reaper or whatever he wants himself to be called with, turned his back on him and walked as if nothing extraordinary happened.

 

He managed to croak out a few words to him.. 

"How .. how a-about y-y-your ff-fingerp-prints?"

 

The man turned back at him and raised his hands all the while showing him his famous cheeky smile.

 

"Oh that? You know I'm too smart for mundane things like that..."

 

He laughed and then waved him goodbye, as if they're pals just parting on their way home from a party.

 

He continued watching until he can see no more, either the man was engulfed by the darkness or his eyes has failed to function properly from all the blood loss and damages he has suffered.

 

He glanced up at the sky.

 

It really is true then. That you only ever seek and remember God when it is almost your last breath...

 

Dear God.. forgive me for all the sins I've done...

 

 

In the end, the man never got to finish his final prayer.


	2. The Detective

" **Soeline's Billionaire Kang Junghyuk Skinned to Death**

 

The rich and famous businessman, and owner of Soeline Underwear Kang Junghyuk was found dead in a dark alley by teenage bypassers. It was around 4 a.m. when a group of friends came out from a club and was on their way home when they noticed a huge slump lying on the side of the then dark alley. They were curious as to what it may be and got the shock of their life when the barely-recognizable figure of Kang Junghyuk came into their line of sight.

 

It was said that the man was skinned to death and was even castrated by the still unidentified person.

It must be remembered that a year ago, Kang Junghyuk was involved in a case filed against him by his wife, Kang Minhee. The latter claimed that their daughter's death was done in front of her own two eyes while she was tied up in a chair and that the culprit was none other than her husband.

She even shared that she can do nothing but cry when he started raping their daughter. When asked why her husband did what she accused him of, she answered with one word.. "Drugs"

 

Kang Junghyuk was acquitted last month for lack of evidence against him. Therefore, he was a free man and was never imprisoned for "raping his daughter" and "skinning her alive", as previously accused by his wife.

The police force are already looking into the case but one thing is for sure, a whole lot of people thinks this is the victim's karma."

 

The detective quickly crumpled the newspaper in his hands and uttered a curse as he banged his hand on his desk.

 

"What the actual-"

 

"Language, Detective."

 

The detective glanced at the side to see his senior coming towards him.

 Detective Chief Superintendent Lee Sungyeol of the South Korean Criminal Investigation Department looked at the object he's been holding tight.

"Ahh, I see you've already read the day's headline then. That would be less effort for me in explaining. Hmm. Well, you know the drill. This one's yours."

 

"But, how about Detective Jang? Doesn't he have anything else to do? Why are all creepy and brutal cases assigned to me?" The young detective whined.

Lee Sungyeol chuckled at his junior's childish behavior and stepped closer to him to pat him on the shoulders.

 

"Do you really wanna know?" He waited for a few seconds of silence before he said in a low voice..

 

"That's because you can't spell Kim Myungsoo without creepy. You are the epitome of that word, aren't you?"

Myungsoo was dumbfounded at his senior's words. When he regained composure however, the said man have already walked out of his office leaving only a folder containing the basic information of the said case.

He opened it nonetheless and scanned through the details. Basically what he, along with the whole South Korea, already knows due to all the media exposure of the said man's case a year before.

 

He shivered when he remembered how cruel this dead man had been to his own daughter, that is if it was really true. He has doubts because as much as he wouldn't want to admit it, some officials can be bought by money therefore, the acquittal of Kang Junghyuk still left a lot of questions in his mind.

 

His eyes lowered and his mind was blown when he got the part where the cause of death was laid out in full (and gory) details.

"Kang Junghyuk died due to excessive loss of blood caused by his male reproductive organ castrated and the skin on his neck and arms peeled. He was found at 4 a.m. by passers-by and was approximately dead for 2 hours based on the state of the dried blood and bluish skin.

Further investigation was being made and the result of autopsy will be released in the next day or the day right after. Possible addition to the cause of death might surface once the results are out."

 

Skinned to death just like his daughter's fate... And castrated because? He raped his daughter..?

 

This might not be as simple as a casual murderer out for a hunt or even a mere coincidence.

He looked at the left side of his office where his corkboard hangs. 

This is his sixth case for this year. All the rest are still unsolved.

These cases were practically passed on to him by his colleagues because "he's the guy for creepy cases like this". As much as he'd like to deny it, it was really true that he was a sucker for anything gory and creepy.

He thinks one great factor is missing from all these evidences that he have posted on the board. It was always a clean murder. No traces left. One that may or may not lead to the culprit.

Myungsoo believes that in all his cases for the year, the culprit is just one and the same. 

A troubled and sick psychopath who's taken the role of punishing the unpunished criminals in his hands.

And only one great mind can help him track down this psychopath. It took him this last case to make such assumption, and he'd be damned if he got it wrong.

He fished his phone out of his backpocket and dialed the number he'd memorized by heart. On the third ring, finally, the person on the other line picked up.

 

"Hyung, I need your help."

 

 

The other line was silent until he heard an all-too familiar voice.

 

 

"Took you long enough." Said the best forensic psychologist in town, Kim Sunggyu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's already on the fourth chapter on AFF, if you want, you can go and check it out. It's under the same title^^ 
> 
> P.S. Thanks for the kudos. ❤


	3. The Psychologists

The incessant ringing of his phone woke Woohyun up from a deep slumber.

 

He tried to ignore whoever was calling him at this hour hoping that the caller might realize he's still sleeping and is totally in need of it after everything that has transpired yesterday. But it seems like the caller is either an idiot or just plain thick-headed.

 

He covered his head with his pillow but even so, the shrill ringing still somehow reaches his ears. He groaned, huffed and then reached for his phone located on the nightstand. He fumbled for it until he picked it up then groggily answered the phone, not caring who's on the other line.

 

"What" He flatly said.

 

 

A chuckle can be heard from the other line, which was enough for Woohyun to identify the caller, even without looking at the name registered on his phone.

 

"Not even a good morning, Namu? Oh ho, how ungrateful." The playfulness was totally evident in the other person's voice that Woohyun wasn't able to actually be irritated.

 

"You don't deserve it Jongie. Why'd you wake me up so early on a Saturday morning? I have no filming schedule today right?"

 

Lee Sungjong is the youngest producer in the whole South Korea entertainment business, well-known for his "feminine looks and beauty that could rival that of idols' " and his mastery on his craft. He's also the producer for the show that Woohyun hosts, The Mirror. A show where victims of psychological trauma and stress show up and talk to the resident psychologist, i.e. Dr. Nam Woohyun.

 

Which reminds him, the latest interview he did caused the show's ratings to skyrocket. It involved an infamous case and had a well-known businessman in South Korea as the suspect.

 

He still cringes everytime he remembers what Mrs. Kang has said to him, even before the show was recorded. They were required to talk about it backstage before recording to prevent unwanted reactions from him e.g. cursing in front of the national television.

 

He remembers feeling angry at the man. He knows Mrs. Kang was not lying. He's a psychologist for heaven's sake, he sure knows how to detect when someone is fabricating lies. He was seething in anger when he first talked about what happened with Mrs. Kang and it was a miracle that he regained his neutral composure the whole time the show was aired.

 

"If only it wasn't a crime to kill, then I'd be the one to personally end Kang Junghyuk." He once said to Mrs. Kang out of empathy and anger but the woman only tapped him on the arm and then pulled him in for a tight hug.

 

"Ssh now. I don't want to ruin your career. It's okay darling. I believe karma will get back at him soon" She pulled away from the hug and gave him an affectionate and reassuring smile. 

 

He sighed and then nodded along. He was so proud of how strong and kind Mrs. Kang was for her to not wish death to her husband, no matter his crime. She didn't succumb to depression and was still able to share a smile to him, who is technically still a stranger.

 

 

"Earth to Nam woohyun. Are you still there? Over."

 

He heard Sungjong talking on the phone. He forgot he was talking to someone and was carried away by his thoughts.

 

"Ah yeah, sorry. What were you saying?" 

 

He heard an exasperated huff. 

 

"As I was saying, you have to do a follow-up interview with Mrs. Kang."

 

Woohyun was surprised. Never in the entire two years of existence of his show that they asked a guest to come twice. 

 

"Why? Are we really going to take advantage of the fact that it involves famous people and that it has increased our viewership ratings significantly? Can't we just let the good Mrs. Kang take a rest from all the unnecessary prying just to gain ratings? Because I don't think it's a good idea, Jongie." He said firmly.

 

Somehow, he felt closer to Mrs. Kang than all the other guests on his show. Maybe it's because he saw how strong and tough she was even after everything that has happened to her. 

 

"Ugh what did I expect. Of course you don't know what happened yet."

 

Woohyun was fully awake now. The tone the young producer used was so grave, he felt chills run down his spine.

 

"Know what? What happened with whom?"

 

"Well, Kang Junghyuk was found dead in an alley just this morning, 4 a.m. He was castrated and was skinned alive by a still unidentified person."

 

He felt bile rise from his stomach when he heard what happened, as Sungjong relayed in detail as to how the businessman was killed.

 

"Oh... Call me sick or whatever, but why do I feel like he deserves this?"

 

"Because that's what you've always been saying since you learned of this case."

 

"Well, you can't blame me. The guy deserves to die. After everything, he has no place he belongs to more than hell. He will surely rot in there or probably be best pals with the Devil."

 

He let out a laugh and he can only imagine Sungjong looking at him disapprovingly.

 

"Anyway, I just called you to tell you that by Monday you'd have Mrs. Kang again as a guest. We postponed the other guest to another schedule. We already called her before you, and she already agreed so you have no other choice but to agree with this too ."

 

"Yeah yeah. As if I can do anything once you set your mind to it. Whatever. I'd do it. But honestly though, I hate Kang Junghyuk with all my being and I really believe that he deserves his death. I should thank whoever killed him. He's what this wretched world needs."

 

He then hung up his phone. He stretched his arms and reached for his back, which is in so much pain.

 

He groaned as he flexed, wondering why his body was so worked up.

 

He walked out of his bedroom and proceeded to the bathroom and was frozen still when he saw a bloodied shirt on his hamper. 

 

_What the..._

 

He asked himself where all that blood came from and shook his head when he remembered what happened yesterday. He felt goosebumps and went quickly to the sink to wash his face with cold water.

 

He can still remember the smell of blood and the disgusting feeling when it hit his hand and shirt. He shivered. 

 

He shook his head and tried to focus on the task of washing himself up.

 

When he was done, he once again looked at the bloodied shirt. 

 

_Tsk. That bastard should be the one to pay for dry-cleaning. Tainting my favorite tshirt with his filthy blood._

 

He then went to rummage his shelves until he found a black plastic bag where he put in his shirt. He went out of his house and went straight to the dry-cleaning shop just a few blocks away.

 

When he came in, he flashed his brightest smile at the young woman in-charge of the cash register/reception desk. The woman automatically blushed, because even though he has been coming there for quite some time, he's still technically a celebrity. 

 

He engaged in a short conversation with her then gave her the bag which consists of his clothes that needs to be washed and dry-cleaned. He watched as the young woman carefully take out the clothes from the bag and sorts them. He saw how the young woman's eyes bulged and how she has visibly taken a step back when her eyes landed on the bloodied shirt. She then turned at him, with a bit of fear swimming in her eyes.

 

"A, err, why is this.. why is your shirt bloodstained?" She asked while stuttering.

 

_Aaah, i should've just thrown it away. But it's my favorite shirt.. then I should have washed it on my own. What a hassle._

 

"Well, it's uh.. Well it doesn't really concern you. Just do your job please. I'm not entitled to tell you what happened point per point. It's strictly confidential."

 

The young woman was taken aback at how serious Woohyun's voice has become. In the long time that Woohyun frequents their shop, he always had a bright expression on his face. His smile and his voice will always be full of energy and playfulness. But now, it was just plain grave. It scared her especially because of the fact that her imagination has already run wild.

 

She just nodded at Woohyun and placed the bloodied shirt in a different basket to prevent other shirts from being stained. 

 

She heard shuffles from behind so she turned and saw Woohyun making his way out of the door. She thought he was already leaving until he stopped in front of the door and turned back to her. 

 

"Please don't tell a single soul about my shirt. I'd really appreciate it. Thank you so much, Soni-ssi." He then bowed at her and gave her a half smile.

 

The smile that used to make her stomach flutter now only made her feel uneasy. She glanced at the bloodied shirt in the basket, then turned to the door. Woohyun has really gone out, she even made her way to the door and sure enough, he saw Woohyun's retreating figure already a block away.

 

She then rushed to the basket, took out her phone and captured a photo of the said shirt. She felt like there is a need to do it. Call her crazy, but she was really creeped out by the blood and the smile that Woohyun threw her way.

 

She then glanced at the newspaper lying on the desk with the headline printed in bold letters.

 

_Oh God, please let it be just my imagination._

 

 

 

\----

"Hyung. I missed you."

 

Sunggyu chuckled. How could this cute and childish dongsaeng of his become the best detective of his generation with the creepy and brutal cases always assigned to him too.

 

"Well, it wasn't my fault you liked your office more than me. Hmm I wonder why.." He looked at Myungsoo sideways, and tried not to laugh when he saw how his face slowly turned red .

 

"You know how much important you are to me more than Sungyeol hyung. Ah I mean, my work. You are more important than work."

 

Sunggyu now freely laughed at the detective's flaming face. It really wasn't a secret between them how the younger was harboring a huge crush on the chief superintendent.

 

"Stop laughing !" He smacked Sunggyu who laughed even more. He then glared until the other's laugh subsided.

 

"I'm just kidding Myungie. No need to be sulky. How are you, really?"

 

"I'm fired up hyung. I feel like finally, after all these months of being stagnant, all my unsolved cases will finally have an answer." 

 

Sunggyu noted how Myungsoo's face lit up when he talked about the probability of solving his cases. He remembered how crestfallen the younger was when he had five consecutive cases unsolved. Even with him being acknowledged as the brightest in his class and his generation, it was a huge blow when he can't solve the cases that were assigned to him.

 

At first, he was still fine with it. Thinking that some cases just take up more time to be solved than other cases. But when one unsolved case became five, Myungsoo almost lost it.

 

He would either lock himself in his house or spend the entire day and night in his office. He was desperate to solve the cases not because his reputation is at stake but because the victims' families deserve this closure that can only be attained once the cases are solved.

 

"Hyung, I really think this is done by one and the same person. I want you to be a part of my team in investigating the cases. Hyung, I need your insight on twisted minds such as psychopaths. Don't they develop patterns in killing?" Myungsoo turned serious, his childish dongsaeng now replaced by the highly-respectable Detective Kim.

 

Before answering, he constructed his answer carefully inside his head first.

 

"If it really is a psychopath, then there is a high probability that there's a pattern to his murders or killings. However, you must also consider that some psychopaths and killers in general, since most of them are actually genius, they tend to kill in a seemingly patterned way only to mislead the police force from his real victim. Take for example the killer from Kellerman's Bones. He killed prostitutes and cut off their hands before ending his real victim's life.

 

The fact that he killed prostitutes before the real victim made the police think that the psychopath hates prostitutes and was at a loss when the most recent victim turned out to be a piano teacher. It was later found out that the said woman was killed due to jealousy by the a rich man's daughter and son-in-law. It turns out that the piano teacher was given a part in the inheritance, which significantly lessened the daughter's share, and therefore caused her to be really angry, unreasonable but still. And then there are also some killers who just follow how other killers finish their victims, just to confuse the police into thinking that it was done by one and the same person. "

 

He looked at Myungsoo who was listening intently and really focused on what he's saying.

 

"Do you get where I'm coming from?"

 

The young detective reluctantly nodded.

 

"That my assumption was probably wrong and that these could all be done by different killers?" He said, not really sure what his hyung wanted to hear from him.

 

Sunggyu sighed and shook his head.

 

"Ok. First, you have to tell me how you came up with the idea that all your unsolved cases were done by one and the same person."

 

Myungsoo nodded and took out a folder from his messenger bag.

 

"Here hyung."

 

He watched as Sunggyu scanned each page of the cases that were enclosed in the folder. He waited until Sunggyu arrived at the last page before he said anything.

 

"So what do you think hyung?"

 

The forensic psychologist only shook his head and returned to scanning the pages.

 

"To be honest, I see no connection aside from the fact that they were all brutally killed. No pattern that might suggest only one person did this can be seen. Here, look at this. This one was strangled to death with a belt while his head was wrapped with a plastic and his body is full of cigarette burns." He flipped to the next page, "This one was stabbed in the eyes and all fingers were cut. Argh gross."

 

He then flipped to the other pages until he reached the last one. "And then here's this from this morning.. skinned to death and was castrated. Really, Myungie. Aside from the fact that they all died a brutal death, nothing else seems connected to me."

 

Myungsoo flashed him a smile. The one he wears when he's sure to win whenever they play poker.

 

"Well hyung, there IS actually a pattern."

 

Myungsoo smirked at the excited expression on his hyung's face. _He just loves to catch psychopaths as much as I want to catch these criminals._

 

"Spill, young man." Sunggyu said, annoyed as to how Myungsoo was making him feel on edge with the suspense.

 

Myungsoo folded his hands and laid his chin there. Then in his most gravest tone, he said to Sunggyu,

 

 

"They were all killed the same way they killed their victims."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited version^^


	4. The Genius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: gruesome details ahead~

Sunggyu glanced at the brown folder placed on top of his coffee table. It had been a couple of hours since the meeting with Myungsoo. As much as the detective wanted to elaborate his theory, a sudden call from the office interrupted the conversation and the younger was forced to do the elaboration the next day, or whenever they are both free.

 

 

"Hyung, I got to go. There's an emergency meeting at the office. Maybe the higher-ups wanted this case to be solved immediately or something."

 

Sunggyu was left with nothing else to do but to nod at the detective. Myungsoo then rummaged through his bag and got a folder which he placed on the table.

 

"Here's the file of the unsolved cases I'm currently handling hyung. This contains the suspected crime and the way they were killed. I'm telling you hyung, it was really stupid of me to overlook such obvious things. Call me when you're on the same boat as me."

 

The detective tapped him on the arm, quite strongly to be honest, and then hurried out of the café. Sunggyu stared at the innocent folder containing not-so-innocent facts of the cases. He then glanced at his watch and noted how time seemed to fly so fast. He picked up the folder and then quickly went out of the café, seeking the comfort of his home before he actually takes the first step on a new case.

 

Two hours later and he's still staring at the forsaken folder. Something's stopping him, a voice in his head saying he shouldn't be a part of this.

 

Maybe it was his cowardice or just his lazy self who wanted a rest after finally wrapping up a grueling case of a criminal with a Dissociative Identity Disorder, who went on a killing spree.

 

He contemplated even more. Should he really do it? Because he knows once he opens that folder, once his curiosity gets piqued, then there's no other way out than to help in solving this case, as he have done so before, and successfully at that.

 

Kim Sunggyu had been a Forensic Psychologist for 4 years now, assisting the police task force in catching criminals who are believed to be mentally incapacitated. And for the four years that he had been a professional, no case has managed to interrupt his streak of success. He became a known figure in the South Korea, by the sobriquet "The Genius", all thanks to his intellect and capacity to track down the said criminals based on the patterns created.

 

A lot of girls had been trying to woo him but to no avail. Therefore, the 27 year old Sunggyu is (depressingly) single and lives in a bachelor's pad, which in total honesty, isn't used as much since he tend to stay in his office, trying to come up with ideas and developing possible links and targets by the wanted criminals. 

 

He flopped again to the couch, after going to the kitchen to get some water. He looked at the folder yet again, then heaved in oxygen for his brain.

 

Alright, Dr. Kim. It's showtime.

 

He opened the folder and was greeted with the large text printed on the first page.

 

CRIMINAL RECORDS

He flipped and found the latest case on the second page. His eyes scanned the name, Kang Junghyuk. 

 

He skimmed through the details, his eyes landing on the suspected crime of killing his daughter. And the way he was killed.

 

Ah, nothing that I do not know of to date.

 

He then flipped to the next case, Lee Kyunghoon.

 

He searched his brain for anything that might relate to the name but he got nothing. He doesn't remember any case with the same name as the suspect or for this matter, the victim. He then read the details out loud.

 

"Name: Lee Kyunghoon  
On February 10, 2017, the said male's mother in law filed a case against him who, according to the plaintiff, cut his wife's body with the kitchen knife while tied to their four-poster bed. It was said that he slashed his wife's body on non-critical areas such as the arms, legs, feet and also on the ribs. There were also small slashes found on the side of the neck and on the woman's reproductive organ. Furthermore, it was also stated that the man gathered molded cans which already contained different types of worms in their house. He then scooped some of the said worms and applied it to the gaping wounds he made on his wife's skin. The wife died of trauma and the said man wasn't convicted due to lack of evidence, aside from the mother inlaw's words.

On May 25, 2017, a few days after Lee Kyunghoon was deemed innocent by the Court, he was found tied up in the middle of a field of corns like a scarecrow. His body was stark naked and it can be seen how worms are crawling on the gashes that were all over his body. He died due to shock and loss of blood."

Sunggyu almost threw the folder on the wall after reading the second case. He felt goosebumps all over his skin. Brutal. Sick. Psychotic.

 

This is totally different from the criminals he pursued before. This.. this is on another level. A notch or two higher than his previous cases.

 

He calmed his racing heartbeat. 

 

God, people can really be so cruel sometimes. 

 

He deserves his death, a voice in his head said.

 

 

No! No one deserves to die under the hands of a mere human being, another voice shouted, his rational part most probably.

 

He shook his head. The voices in his head can get so annoying sometimes. He felt like there are different people inside his head because he talks to himself as if it is what it is. 

 

"Okay, Kim Sunggyu. You can do this. Don't be a coward. You're the brainiest Forensic Psychologist out there and if you can't even do as much as read all these cases, then poor Detective Kim Myungsoo will really sulk and fail to solve this case. You're the only one who can help him Gyu. Come on, man up!"

 

He pumped up his chest and then heaved a big sigh. He picked up the folder yet again and went back to the second case, flipping only to come face to face with the picture of the dead Lee Kyunghoon, with his eyes still wide open, full of horror. 

 

He hurriedly flipped to the next page and almost threw up, yet again.

 

 

He mistakenly flipped to the page where the crime scene was photographed. And in the whiteness of the paper, he clearly saw the red all over the photo. He thought it was all blood until he looked closer and bile rose to his throat when he realized what he was looking at.

 

 

There was a lot of blood, yes, but the horrifying sight was not the blood itself but the lump in the corner of the picture. He traced the lump and his eyes saw a rectangular flesh connected to it...like a neck.

 

 

It took him some time before it dawned on him.

 

 

"Fvck! Of course it's a neck! It's a goddamn head you piece of sht!"

 

 

He looked at the lump once again and saw how there was a huge crack on the front, and gray matter was spilling all over the floor of what he guessed was  a basement.

 

He then flipped back to know the details and was left appalled that he has to read it out loud for it to actually sink in.

 

 

"Case no. 4 Name: Park Shintae

Park Shintae is a professional baseball player who was accused last year, November 5, 2016,  of hitting his daughter's nanny to death with his metal baseball bat. No other ceremony was made. It was said that the accused was pissed off after losing a match and was flared up when he saw the victim scolding his daughter. He carried his daughter off the place and locked her in her room. He then proceeded to hit the nanny with the metal bat relentlessly, only stopping when he realized no words of apology and pleading were already heard from the woman. The woman died with her skull smashed to a pulp.

 

On November 30, 2016, the police found the body of Ms. Lee Minji courtesy of a resident out on her morning jog. No clues were found until the police decided to pay a visit to Mr. Park's residence. The said man wasn't found and only the 7-year-old daughter together with her mother was there. The police asked the standard questions and were taken aback when the young girl spoke up.

"Where's my nanny? Did you see my nanny? Is she ok? I hope she isn't hurt." 

 

When asked why she said these, she merely stated that the last time she saw her nanny was when her dad was really angry and she's afraid her nanny might get hurt for scolding her for her own mistake.

 

When the nanny's family heard of this, they quickly filed a lawsuit against Park Shintae, which created a big fuss at the time because of his status in the sports world. He was nowhere to be found until December 12, 2016, where a tiwas received telling the police force of a dead body found in an abandoned house's basement. When the police arrived, they saw a body with a pulped skull for a head and two broken bloody hands. The ID cards present on the body confirmed the dead person to be Park Shintae. He died due to the opening of his skull resulting to excessive blows done with a blunt weapon which later on was found out to be a metal baseball bat."

 

If Sunggyu weren't already sitting down, he might have collapsed on the floor by now. He uttered a string of obscenities before he gathered his wits and calmed down.

 

He took a deep breath and asked himself if this is really worth it. 

 

Does he really need to help Kim Myungsoo? Does he really need to torture himself with this totally dark and brutal cases?

 

Of course not. But he's your friend so...

 

He shook his head again. Ugh I'm going crazy, really.

He decided he can't take more details and graphic evidences of the crime scene so he just focused on the crime of the victims and the way they were killed.

No doubt. What his dongsaeng said was true.

There really is a pattern.

And now he thinks that this is more than just a twisted mind. This is someone who's playing the vengeance card on those who has failed to achieve it.

 

He plopped the folder down the table once again and contemplated for a moment before dialing on the phone. He hoped the younger wasn't busy and done with the meeting already. 

 

On the third ring, his call was picked up and an excited kitten greeted him.

 

"So hyung, I'm right, ne? I told you!"

 

He could imagine the detective smiling from ear to ear right now, his eyes shining with (inappropriate) excitement. He let out a long exhale and rubbed his temples.

 

 

"I don't know Myung. I mean yeah, you're right. But these cases... How do you even handle these? It's way too graphic and brutal for my liking! However... I want to catch whoever is behind this Vengeance Killing."

 

 

"Ah!" The other male exclaimed loudly. "So we think the same thing too. This really looks like someone who wants justice for the victims,though in his own twisted way. He's playing God hyung. Don't you think so?"

 

 

God. Only He has the right and power to take one's lives for we are his creation. But this killer, this person was taking the lives of the criminals with his own hands as if he were God, or a right-hand man of some sort.

 

 

"I think so too..."

 

"So hyung, are you in or are you in?"

 

 

"Like I have a choice. Of course I'm in." He chuckled.

 

 

He heard Myungsoo clapping. He must've put his phone between his ear and shoulder. 

 

 

"Ah hyung. You don't know how happy I am. I am now 200% sure that we'd be able to catch this elusive genius killer. I'm gonna tell Chief Lee about this hyung. Alright, I'm hanging up. Bye!"

 

 

Sunggyu only shook his head when he heard the beeping of the phone, signaling the call was ended by the person on the other line.

 

Whoever you are, I'll definitely catch you.

The next few days passed by in a blur in the life of Sunggyu.

 

One day he was telling Myungsoo that he'd be a part of his team and the next, he was sitting in front of people with large cameras and laptops poised on their own tables.

 

He looked at his right and he saw the greasy face of his friend, Detective Kim Myungsoo and on his left is the cheeky Chief Detective Superintendent Lee Sungyeol. Beside Chief Lee is Investigator Kwon, who's also a part of Myungsoo's team.

 

He then focused on the sound around him. And was momentarily stunned at the simultaneous sound of cameras' shutters, the blinding lights from the camera flash, and of course the annoying reporters.

 

He  heard the question asked by the red-haired reporter to Chief Lee.

 

"So Chief, do you really think the cases you mentioned that were still unsolved were done by one and the same unidentified person?"

 

"Ah, as I've said awhile ago, that's what our team's brains, Detective Kim Myungsoo and Forensic Psychologist Dr. Kim Sunggyu think. We believe this is done by someone who has assumed the role of the Grim Reaper. However, we will not relay the full details as of now because it's still under investigation. We will inform you immediately once we have enough data. Thank you. Next question please."

 

A lot of hands shot up and Chief Lee pointed at the petite reporter with almond eyes and flaming hair.

 

"Ah, this question is for Dr. Kim."

 

Myungsoo nudged Sunggyu, who was in turn flustered and immediately reached for the microphone.

 

"Yes. Please proceed."

 

"Dr. Kim, no one in South Korea does not know of the reputation you have built in the field of forensic psychology. You are almost always the reason why cases involving mentally incapacitated criminals are immediately solved. Do you think with you being on the team, you'd be able to finish the cases that Detective Kim failed to solve?"

 

He noticed Myungsoo stiffened beside him at the tone of the question.

 

"Well, thank you for that question. Though I'd appreciate it more if not for the accusing tone you just used right now. You're a reporter, you should remain neutral and keep your personal thoughts and feelings on the side. Anyway, I don't think this case will be solved as fast as my previous cases but I, along with the whole team, will make sure justice will be served. And that the unidentified killer be put in jail or asylum wherever suits his condition."

 

He stared at the reporter with a hard gaze and smiled triumphantly when the reporter blushed out of embarrassment.

 

You should learn to stay in your place.

 

The whole press conference lasted for an hour and the whole team took turns in answering the questions thrown by the horde of reporters.

 

Sunggyu glanced sideway and noticed how Myungsoo was more silent than he usually is. He was about to reach out and talk to him but Chief Lee made them bow first to the reporters and right after they were all dismissed, the latter poked him on the shoulder and signaled for them to talk, just the two of them.

 

He followed Chief Lee in a deserted area near the bathroom, away from prying ears and eyes.

 

Chief Lee faced him and took off his serious mask.

 

"Ey hyung! Sometimes I wish I could just throw the bottle of water in front of that fox reporter's face. How dare she insult our dear Myungsoo! Hyung, you have to take care of him. You know how much depressed he was when he failed to solve these cases. And just when I thought he'd already forget it, that woman reminded him of it."

 

Despite everything, Sunggyu couldn't stop from laughing at Sungyeol's rant. 

 

If only Myungsoo heard what you said, then he'd probably forget about everything that makes him sad and be floating up on the ninth cloud.

 

Sadly, this supposedly smart and talented Chief Detective Superintendent failed to recognize Myungsoo's feelings for him. 

 

"Ok. Ok. Just quiet down, okay? We'll solve this. All of us together. We can do this."

 

"Wow hyung, I never thought you have this greasy side of you. Tsk tsk what were you eating lately?" The chief then stuck out his tongue and laughed at him as he made his way out of the area.

 

"Stupid Chief. How did he even become chief when he's nothing but an epitome of Mischief."

 

"Hyung, I heard you!"

 

Sungyeol shouted. Sunggyu just laughed at the other's childish behaviors.

 

 

A more thorough investigation was conducted by the team. Now that they have a hint for the killer, which is the killers in all unsolved cases of Myungsoo being one and the same. So their focus sort of watered down to looking for connections among all deaths, aside from the fact that they were all killed the same way they had killed their own victims.

 

Three days later, while Myungsoo was looking at piles of papers and Sunggyu was relaxing on the chair in front of the table re-reading the facts of the case, their soul nearly flew out. 

 

He picked up the phone which was ringing and listened intently to what the man on the other line was saying. On the other hand, Sunggyu stopped poring on the facts of the cases searching for more similarities, and looked up to Myungsoo, who was wearing a very serious mask.

 

His brows creased when Myungsoo's face morphed from serious to confused then to an excited expression.

 

"Really? Really Dr. Shin? That's great news, right?.. Alright. I'll be there in ten minutes."

 

The younger then ended the call and hurried to pick up his coat hanging on the chair and was about to dash out, completely forgetting the existence of Sunggyu in the room until the other shouted at him.

 

"Ya! Where are you going?"

 

Myungsoo looked back, confusion written all over his face until he realized that it was Sunggyu who called him. He then walked back to where Sunggyu was as calmly as he could, though the bounce on every step he took is a giveaway.

 

"Hyung! The killer! I'm sure we can really catch him now. Come on hyung, you have to come with me."

 

Myungsoo grabbed his arm and the elder was forced to stand up, lest his arms be pulled out of its sockets. The younger urged him to walk faster and still in the midst of confusion, the psychologist just followed until he came back to his right mind and skidded to a stop, effectively stopping the overly excited Myungsoo.

 

"Ya! What are you doing? What just happened? Can you tell me before we go to wherever we are going?"

 

Myungsoo impatiently heaved out a sigh and looked at his hyung straight in the eyes, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

 

"Hyung.. this is the groundbreaking evidence we need!  The result of the autopsy was already examined thoroughly and you won't believe this hyung."

 

"Oh come on. Cut to the chase immediately Myung. I'm dying of curiosity here."

 

"Alright hyung. You know how the Grim Reaper always leave a clean murder, right? Well, this time he made a little mistake. Dr. Shin said that the result of the autopsy revealed a DNA under the nails of the victim, which with further investigation, turned out to be from someone else. Furthermore, he said that this might be the result of the late Mr. Kang struggling from his encounter with the Grim Reaper, and in the process scratching bits of the latter's skin."

 

Sunggyu allowed the information to fully sink in before he grabbed Myungsoo by the shoulder and shook him.

 

"Myungsoo! Oh my god! This is it. This is the biggest hint we can ever get!"

 

But what if it wasn't the Grim Reaper's DNA but some random stranger he happened to encounter before his meeting with the Grim Reaper. Surely, the Grim Reaper won't make such a mistake, no matter how minute. He's a genius after all.

 

And as much as he wanted to voice out the opinion, he refrained from doing so. Or else he'd be a wet blanket to Myungsoo's party.

 

He then wrapped his arms around the detective's shoulder and said, "What are we stalling for? Let's go to Dr. Shin's paradise and ID the Grim Reaper."

 

Myungsoo merely nodded his head and then walked ahead of his hyung, leaving the psychologist shaking his head.

 

I really hope this is the Grim Reaper's DNA. 

 

He sighed and then walked faster to catch up on the detective.


	5. DNA

Sunggyu walked faster in order to catch up with the overly excited detective.

Finally. They might have a concrete evidence that might lead them to the Reaper.

He looked up and just at the right time, as he saw a car speeding up towards the direction of Myungsoo, who's still in his bubble of excitement that he failed to notice the approaching vehicle.

He ran as fast as his legs can and pushed Myungsoo, right as the car tires squeaked on the asphalt, finding enough friction to stop at the right time. 

Fortunately, everyone was safe. The driver was able to stop at the right moment, just a meter or two from where Sunggyu and Myungsoo are. 

As the two are trying to stand up and wipe themselves as clean as possible, they heard a shrill whistle. They looked up and found a quite healthy police officer blowing his whistle so hard and at the same time running towards them, his face so red he might be mistaken for a tomato.

 

They waited for the officer to come while the driver came out of his car, checking if anything has hurt his precious baby (read: his car).

He scratched his head when he saw the approaching officer.

"Stooop! Don't you ever dare escape from here."

The officer turned to them.

"Sirs, will you please come with me to the precinct? You have to file for a report against this reckless driver. Come, come with me. And you Mister. You are not going away this time."

Sunggyu refused or he tried to, telling the officer they have more important errands to do but the officer won't take no for an answer. 

"If you let this man go, there's a high possibility that he will do it again. And who knows if he'll be able to stop right on time at the next instance, right?"

With that said, they were forced to come to the precinct. There are a lot of minor offenders inside the place, making it rambunctious: full of arguments and justifications and alibis.

 

The officer smiled at the two of them and asked them to wait for their turn. They waited for at least an hour, and by that time, the sun has already set down and it was already dark when they were able to go out.

 

Myungsoo looked at his watch and cursed when he saw the time.

 

"Hyung, can we postpone until tomorrow? I have a meeting with Chief Lee in about 10 minutes. Can you please text Dr. Shin and tell her we can't come today? Tell her we'll go there tomorrow morning."

 

Myungsoo dashed away from the place before Sunggyu even had the chance to at least affirm.

Sunggyu shook his head and got his phone from his jean's pocket and furiously tapped on his screen. He sent a short message of apology to Dr. Shin and promised they'll be there first thing in the morning.

 

However, when morning came, what they saw wasn't the pristine laboratory of the pathologist. Instead, all documents were in disarray. Papers were lying on the floor. They looked around and thankfully enough, no part of the evidences were broken or stolen. Or so they thought.

The place was eerily quiet, as if no one is there. They looked at each other and started calling out Dr. Shin's name. 

 

"Wait... What's that?" Sunggyu paused.

 

"What?"

 

"Did you hear that? Listen... Seems like someone is groaning.."

Sunggyu listened more carefully until he located the origin of the said sound. He went straight into the bathroom and there he found Dr. Shin lying on the bathroom floor, her hand holding her head as she groggily tried to sit up.

He immediately ran to her side and helped her. He was about to call out for Myungsoo but seeing the other's vulnerable state, he knows it might only worsen the other's headache.

When Dr. Shin came to, Myungsoo found them in the bathroom. He gave Sunggyu a questioning look but Sunggyu just shrugged, just as unaware as he is at the moment.

"Dr. Shin? Dr. Shin? Shin Mina-ssi? Do you hear me?"

 

"Ah.. yes. Sunggyu ssi, is it you? And oh, my adorable dongsaeng, Detective Myung. What are you doing here? Oh wait... What AM I doing here? In the bathroom?"

She looked around, her eyes full of question and all she got was silence. 

Sunggyu tried to joke around with, "Are you perhaps drunk?" but Dr. Shin isn't someone who gets intoxicated easily. And considering the fact that she just had a discovery with the DNA from the latest victim's fingernails, it seemed unethical and unprofessional if she gets herself drunk, without relaying the full information first to the responsible authorities a.k.a. Sunggyu and Myungsoo.

They helped her stand up and led her to her working table, which is still a mess. She looked around and groaned as she felt a wave of nausea hit her afresh. 

 

"Dr. Shin? Are you alright? I'd like to tell you we can always postpone this until you get better but you know how urgent this info will be to our investigation." Detective Kim said in his earnest tone.

"Oh, you have a new investigation? I thought you were helping out with Detective Park? I never heard you're helping with Detective Kim too." She directed the question at the psychologist.

"What are you talking about, Dr. Shin? Sunggyu hyung's case with Detective Park has been over for almost two months already. You knew it too. You were the one who made the investigation faster with the results from your autopsy. And now, we're here so that you can also give us the information we badly need in order for us to advance in this investigation."

Sunggyu watched as Dr. Shin looked at them cluelessly. And as she tried to remember about the closing of the case, she grabbed her head and groaned in pain. Detective Kim watched as Dr. Kim looked at her with inquisitive eyes. That is how he noticed Sunggyu's eyes widened and he shook the female's shoulders gently.

"Tell me, Dr. Shin. What date is it today?" 

"Hyung, what are you talking about? Have you forgotten it's already No-"

"September 18th? Or is it the 19th already? Ahh you know I lose track of time inside my laboratory. I've been staying here so that I could quicken the results which might help Detective Park's case."

 

Sunggyu rubbed his temples as he sighed loudly. While Myungsoo was left standing, frozen on his spot with his mouth wide open. 

"You really lost track of time. At least two months' worth of time." Sunggyu said bitterly which confused the woman, as he instructed the Detective to call a doctor. He didn't bother explaining until the said call was done.

When Myungsoo finished telling the doctor the address of the laboratory, he stared at his hyung, like a puppy waiting for answers. 

 

Sunggyu looked at him straight in the eye then turned towards the still confused doctor.

 

"Look, Dr. Shin. Everything is alright. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I'll just go and have a talk with Myungsoo for a little while. Just rest there. We'll be right back." He smiled tenderly.

 

The two of them walked away from Dr. Shin's working table and when they're sure they're out of earshot, Sunggyu then shared his theory.

"I think she's been drugged."

"What? Hyung, what are you talking about?" Myungsoo said, worry etched on his face. 

 

"It makes sense, Myung. Someone entered without permission probably last night. Did you notice how the doorknob isn't as tight as it usually is when we try to open it from the outside? Also, the litter. Papers and documents were scattered all over. I'm not sure if the perpetrator's goal is to just wreak havoc or steal some important documents. And I'm sure you figured out the last thing that made me think she's drugged."

 

"The date. She.. she still thinks it's September 18th when it's already the month of November. Hyung!" His eyes widen at his realization.

 

"Yes, Myungsoo. I think we're thinking the same thing. I just hope we're both wrong. Let's just wait for the physician to check up on her and maybe then we can confirm."

Myungsoo just nodded silently. He doesn't know what else he could do as of the moment. 

They didn't wait for long as the doorbell was heard just a few minutes after they finished their small talk. 

Sunggyu bowed at the newcomer, followed by Myungsoo.

"Dr. Lee Howon. Thank you for coming in such a short notice."

"No problem Detective Kim. Now , where's the patient?" He looked around and was politely led by Myungsoo to where Dr. Shin was sitting. 

Myungsoo left them and went to the door of the office, where Sunggyu was silently observing them. He noticed how his knuckles had turned white from all the clenching he has done. He touched the other's clenched hand and said in a small voice, "Stop it, hyung. You'll hurt yourself."

That's when Sunggyu realized how tightly he has been clenching his fist that there are indent marks left by his nails on his palm. He sighed and looked at Myungsoo, 

"I just hope everything will be fine. This is getting ridiculous."

"I hope so too, hyung"

They watched in silence as Howon checked the woman's vital signs and talked to her. He then suggested Dr. Shin to rest for awhile to ease the headaches, which the doctor easily took.

"So.." Sunggyu raised his eyebrow at the younger doctor.

 

"Well, if I'll base on her vital signs, then nothing seems to be amiss. However, when we talked, she seemed to forget some things. So I asked her simple questions like what she had for dinner last night but she can't answer properly. I asked her what date it is today, and she answered without hesitation. 

September 18th."

"September 18th."

Howon looked at Sunggyu who just simultaneously said the date.

"I somehow figured out that there's something amiss because she asked me earlier why I was helping out Detective Kim when I still have a pending case with Detective Park, which was closed last September 25th."

"Ah I see. You're really smart, Dr. Kim. Truly a genius." Dr. Lee cleared his throat before he continued.

"Based on the situation and my assessment, I think she was drugged with a chemical that makes you forget your most recent memories, depending on the amount inhaled by the victim. According to research, the said drug can make you forget what happened for the whole day, at the very least. And your identity at most. Judging by the lapse of two months in her memory, she might have inhaled the substance for a minute or so."

 

"But isn't that chemical dangerous?" Detective Kim asked.

"That's why it's banned." Sunggyu replied.

"Then how the hell did the perpetrator get ahold of it?" Myungsoo was never aware of such drug ever existing. Have he been living under a rock at that time?

"I don't know. I really don't. Dr. Lee, do you think she'd be able to recover her memories soon?" Sunggyu turned to Howon, his eyes willing the doctor to tell him some good news.

"Depends on how long that soon is. At the very least, she'd probably be able to recover her memories after two weeks. Three months, at most. I just hope it was the prior."

 

"But hyung... The DNA.." Detective Kim muttered helplessly.

That's when Sunggyu remembered the actual reason why they were there. Amidst the chaos, he had actually forgotten what they were after for: the result of the autopsy and the identity of the owner of the said DNA.

 

"If luck is on our side, the results might still be here somewhere. If not, then I guess we'll just have to wait for Dr. Shin to fully recover her memories."

Sunggyu has been sighing a lot for this morning, he won't be surprised if he's already exhaling his soul out.

Dr. Lee bid them goodbye, after he told them what to do with Dr. Shin's condition and that it is never healthy for the brain to consciously try to remember the memories which are forcefully forgotten courtesy of the drugs.

 

They then went inside the doctor's office and saw Dr. Shin lying her head on her arms, his upper body leaning on her working table. They tried to look around the area, searching for the possible information to help them in their case.

They scanned and skimmed through all the papers scattered on the floor (which they already arranged on the table properly) but found none relating to their case. They then went to the vials placed inside a glass cabinet. They squinted at the dates and the names written on the lower part of the vials. They found nothing which bears the date of their case (or the date when they had their press conference ) nor their names .

Myungsoo plopped himself on his butt ln the floor. He felt helpless. More helpless than when he failed to solve his fifth pending case.  He remembers how excited he was yesterday, thinking they'd be able to finally have an advantage against the Grim Reaper and of course a step closer to identifying the said criminal. But now here he is sitting on the floor, his energy deflated and his body and mind totally worn out.

On the other hand, Sunggyu was busy trying to access the laptop which monitors the CCTVs located inside and outside the laboratory. He kept on switching feeds until he found something suspicious, time around 9 pm last night.

He let out a gasp which made Myungsoo stand up on his feet and went straight to where Sunggyu was.

He let out the same gasp when he watched the clip.

On the monitor shows a tall man with bulky body, hat on his head over the hood of his parka and mask covering the lower part of his face, therefore showing just a bit of his eyes. He was walking leisurely, as if he had the time in the world to do so. He seemed to have just gone out of the laboratory, and just as he was about to walk away into the darkness, he turned back and stared straight at the camera. His eyes formed into thin lines, as if he was smiling and in his outstretched hand is a vial, which is dangerously held on its tip.

The man waved to the camera with his other hand and then the other without any hesitance let go of the said vial, and they watched helplessly as they saw it break and get stomped by the man's feet. Right after breaking the vial, he then turned away from the camera and walked towards the darkness. And the two were left to watch as the man was engulfed by the shadows.

 

"Hyung..."

Sunggyu shook his head. _No this can't be. There must be something. There must be-_

His thoughts stopped as his eyes landed on the laptop located on the table. He opened it and on the top right was a sticky note with the laptop's password. Without thinking, he quickly typed in what was written and just as he thought the laptop was starting to boot, the screen went blank and in it are words that seemed like a taunt to them.

 

**"HA HA HA GOT YA! -GR**

**P.S. I LIIIIIKED THE NAME YOU GAVE ME. GRIM REAPER. HMM IT SEEMS FITTING."**

Sunggyu collapsed on the ground as he realized the stupidity he has done out of desperation. 

"Hyung. It's ok. We'll just have to ask for the IT specialists in the department to retrieve whatever is stored in the laptop." Myungsol tried to pacify the elder.

 

"No! No, Myungsoo it's not that easy!! The hard drive was fully wiped out and knowing the grim reaper, he must have installed something to prevent us from retrieving the deleted information!"

Kim Sunggyu was fuming. This can't be. For the first time in his career, he had made the stupidest decision. Just because he's desperate to get the information about the DNA. But it seemed like the Grim Reaper is always one step ahead of them...

 

Myungsoo watched as his hyung fumed silently, willing himself to control his anger, more on himself rather than at other people. He looked at the black screen once again and felt insulted by the words written in large white font.

 

He clenched his fist as he made a promise to himself.

Just wait, Reaper. I'll personally be the one to catch you. And I'll be the one to say "Got Ya" right at your face.

They heard a short yet shrill sound and the both of them turned their attention to the laptop once again. This time, the words were gone from the screen. In it's place is a video of someone in a hoodie, his face covered with a mask and a hat. And when he spoke, the two Kims were sure he was using a voice changing device.

"Helloooo. How are you? Haha is it too formal? Hmm. I have a question for you.. why are you trying to chase me? I have done nothing wrong. I'm only doing humanity a favor. I am extinguishing the lives of the people who have no right to live. I am cleansing the world of its dirt.

 

I AM HELPING THE WORLD TO BE MORE PEACEFUL. WHY CAN'T YOU UGLY BUNCH SEE THAT? Sigh. Look, I only kill those who deserve it. Those who have sinned greatly. But if you continue to chase me then...I am left with no choice but to make exceptions."

They heard a guttural sound which seemed like a sick laugh and right after that, the laptop completely shut down. It's keyboard sparking up and a smell of smoke is coming out from the said device.

The Detective and the doctor looked at each other. 

 

"He's crazy." Myungsoo was the first one to break the silence.

Sunggyu only nodded. He has no other answer anyway.

 

 

An hour has passed and two of them have finally calmed down. Myungsoo found the remote control for the television and he made himself at home, if only so he could forget for just a moment the disappointment he is feeling at himself.

 

He turned on the television and was busy flipping channels that he failed to notice Dr. Shin stirring awake beside him. He was currently on the channel where The Mirror was being broadcasted. He was about to flip to another channel when a cold hand held his wrist, which caused him to almost have a heart attack.

 

He turned to his right and saw Dr. Shin's ashen face, staring straight at the tv. Or more specifically, at the face of the host, Dr. Nam Woohyun. If it were another situation, he wouldn't hesitate to crack a joke about Dr. Shin admiring the handsome celebrity psychologist but the other's expression tells him otherwise. 

 

Dr. Shin stared at Woohyun in horror and then snapped her head to Myungsoo's direction and then she said quickly, her words almost stumbling right out of her mouth.

 

"Dr. Nam Woohyun! Dr. Nam Woohyun. Dr. Nam Woohyun. DR. NAM WOOHYUN!"

With Dr. Shin's sudden outburst, Sunggyu rushed from wherever he was to the office of the laboratory. He shot a panicked glance at the detective who just mirrored his expression.

Dr. Shin was gripping her hair tight, while she groaned in pain or in frustration, they don't know.

Sunggyu then went to Dr. Shin's side and asked her to calm down. When she was finally calmed down, Sunggyu kneeled down in front of her and asked her what happened. 

 

"I don't know. I just... I feel like I have something to know about a person named Nam Woohyun but when I try to remember, all I get is just headaches! It really hurts! Instincts tell me it's important for me to remember details about that person but I.. I can't seem to do it!!!" Dr. Shin burst in tears.

 

Sunggyu tried to shush her while patting her on the back.

 

He looked up and he saw Myungsoo staring at him wide eyed.

 

Do you think it's Nam Woohyun's DNA?, The younger mouthed.

 

I don't know. Maybe. He mouthed right back.

 

When Dr. Shin composed herself, she can't stop but speak of Dr. Nam's name, as if it were some chant. Dr. Shin's face was full of fear and confusion as he spoke the said name.

 

Which made Sunggyu think the younger might be right.

 

It might be Nam Woohyun.

 

 

"Oh shit." He whispered, but not so low because the detective heard him loud and clear.

 

He looked at him and said in a low voice,

 

"I think we ought to pay someone a visit."

***

The clapping sound of the slate signaled the end of the show's recording. Dr. Nam stood up from his chair and shook hands with his guest.

 

"Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Lee. Please don't hesitate to visit me in my office if you need help." He said as he handed the middle-aged man his business card.

 

"Thank you, Dr. Nam. For everything."

Mr. Lee gave him a small smile and then  proceeded to the dressing room to get his belongings.  
Meanwhile, Woohyun watched as some people from the audience are still milling around the set, while the others already made their way out, after receiving their participation fee. He waved back when a group of young adult women shyly waved at him and did the "hwaiting" stance. He was about to go to the backstage when he was met with the serious faces of a duo, Detective Kim and Dr. Kim.

 

Everyone on the set froze at the arrival of the known figures. 

"Why are they here? Are they perhaps friends with Dr. Nam oppa?"

"Aren't they the ones investigating the Grim Reaper case?"

 

"What are they doing here?"

 

Murmurs can be heard all over the place as the two young men made their way to Dr. Nam. When they stood right in front of Woohyun, the elder of the two, Dr. Kim,  nodded his head to where the dressing rooms are located, seeking for privacy for whatever they'll discuss.

"May I help you?" The people close to him heard Woohyun ask the two.

The two's face visibly darkened and then in a hushed voice, Sunggyu said something. But only a few words were caught by the gossipmongers.

".. Autopsy... Found DNA.....Your name..."

The crowd's murmur only seem to grow louder. And though it was totally incomprehensible, the gossipmongers believe these few words were more than enough. All hands became busy as they took photos of Dr. Nam's back and the Detective and Dr Kim. Their fingers went ninja-fast as they typed in their speculations on every web portals available.

Without knowledge of the impending doom, Dr. Nam turned back to the remaining audience and waved goodbye to them. He then turned to the duo and whispered.

 

"I think it'd be better to talk somewhere else. I'm afraid people might get the wrong idea when they see you doing the Inquisition on me. Come, follow me."

 

The two  looked at each other then Sunggyu just shrugged and followed the younger doctor to the backstage.

Woohyun led them to his dressing room, then proceeded to excuse himself as he told his stylist and manager to vacate the room for privacy purpose.

When the last person came out, he signaled to his friend to guard the door and not let any one eavesdrop on their conversation. He then locked the door and turned to his guests who are looking at him with serious expressions.

Woohyun stared at them. If they won't talk, he can also play the game. After all, he's used to waiting for his patients to talk first. 

A few minutes have passed in utter silence and only Detective Kim's constant shuffling breaks it. He seemed agitated as the two doctors kept staring at each other, willing the other to speak first.

When he had enough, Myungsoo broke the silence with his loud sigh, which then attracted the other two's attention.

When he's sure he has Woohyun's full attention, he then sat up straighter and in his most authoritative voice said,

"We have to ask you something regarding the case we're currently investigating."

"Why? Is it about Mrs. Kang?"

"Well, sort of. Look, as of now, you are not part of the suspect list."

"As of now? So I'll probably be added to the list later? What kind of bull is this?"

Dr. Kim sighed and rubbed his temples before he told the younger doctor about the reason why they're there.

"We are supposed to have a solid evidence which may or may not lead to the Reaper. Dr. Shin found something but it was destroyed. A lot of things happened last night and we are left with a Dr. Shin who is under temporary amnesia except for one thing."

 

"You're not a narrator for some fucked up mystery thriller ok?. Stop making such statements and tell me directly how am I supposedly involved in this."

 

"The doctor who examined Dr. Shin said the perpetrator made her inhale some chemicals that erased her most recent memories. But you know what she didn't forget? Your name."

"And? That's got to do with me because...?"

The younger doctor's face was blank, and his voice full of nonchalance that Myungsoo thought they were just having a casual talk about the weather. 

 

"Well, Dr. Shin seemed agitated when she saw your face on the television. She kept saying your name right after, as if it was some kind of a chant."

 

"So? What if Dr. Shin has a crush on me? Come on, are you really that desperate to point at someone as the Grim Reaper so you start accusing people who were randomly spoken by a pathologist as a possible suspect?"

 

"Do you look at your crush with fear written all over your face? I bet not." Sunggyu replied coolly.

"Are you done now?" Dr. Nam said, a little too sweetly.

Dr. Kim sighed and looked at Detective Kim. This is a lost cause, his eyes seemed to say.

 

"Alright, Dr. Nam. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I think we might've sprang this up on you way too fast. As Detective Kim has said earlier, you are not a part of the suspect list and we are in no way treating you as such. We are merely asking you things that might help us with our current case. We will probably come back again, but by that time, we're not sure if you're still not part of the list. Til next time, Dr. Nam. Have a good day."

 

He then bowed at the younger who was silently fuming at the implied accusation. He watched as the two made their way out of the room. When they were completely out, he shut the door and plopped on the couch. He stared at the window located on his right.

Ugh. What a day.

 

 

As the two Kims walked towards the car, Myungsoo recalled the last sentence said by Dr. Nam.

 

_"..you start accusing people who were randomly spoken by a pathologist as a possible suspect?"_

 

 

_Spoken by a pathologist..._

 

His eyebrows creased as he tried to remember their whole conversation. He then looked at his hyung who's sitting on the driver's seat, attaching his seat belts.

 

"What is it now?" Sunggyu said, and he rubbed his temple once again.

"Hyung, how did Dr. Nam know Dr. Shin is a pathologist?"

"You probably told him." He said nonchalantly.

"No I didn't. Did you?"

"No."

They stared at each other.

"Oh shit." Sunggyu cursed and as he looked at his side mirror, he saw a silhouette secretly looking at them from a window on the second floor of the building. From the room they just visited not five minutes ago.

"We have to dig deeper Myung. He might actually be involved in this. Let's go back to Dr. Shin and see what we can find there."

The younger nodded and Sunggyu sped towards the pathologist's laboratory.

He just hopes they find something relevant to the case this time.


	6. Evidence

The duo went back to the laboratory, now packed with the whole team and the support sent by the police department. 

People wearing blue coats and white gloves were all over the room. Some bending over the nooks and crannies, others swabbing cottonballs and brushes over some equipments. To each his own; but they have a uniform goal: to get as much relevant evidences as possible, and effectively of course.

When they entered the room once again, Sunggyu scanned the room for Dr. Shin. There are a lot of people, it might not be good for someone who just lost a part of her memory. Overwhelming feelings can cause more bad than good to patients like this. And he's glad that whoever was in charge of the team was sensible enough because he hasn't seen even a strand of Dr. Shin's hair, which could only possibly mean one thing: she was transferred somewhere more private, with less people. She might've been admitted to the hospital where people who work under the government were sent. With that thought in his head, he approached the man who was busy commanding the team who were assigned to technology related evidences. Hacker. Computer genius. Whatever they are called.

The man has his back turned against the room and just like the whole team, has not noticed the newly arrived duo. 

Or maybe he ignored you. .whatever.

Sunggyu looked at his left before he came close to the man, expecting Myungsoo to be either beside him or behind him. But the said man has made his way to the other side of room, not bothering to make an effort of making his presence known to the Investigator.

He tapped the Officer on his shoulder, which effectively garnered the other's full attention. 

Investigator Kwon Taeho, a man in his early thirties wore a taut expression but when he saw Sunggyu, his facial muscles relaxed, even for a bit. However it might as well been just his imagination because when he blinked, the Investigator's face went back to being taut again. 

"Doctor Kim. Where's Detective Kim? I have to say something to the both of you and it would save both our energies if the two of you together listened to what I have to say."

Sunggyu heard the edge on the elder's voice. Disappointment? Anger? Anxiety? Sunggyu can't figure out. But it must've been a mixture of the three.

He cleared his throat before answering.

"Investigator Kwon, I apo-" he was unceremoniously cut off, but it wasn't something that he didn't expect.

"Save the apology for later, Doctor Kim. Now where is that brat?" He looked around and when he spotted Myungsoo, the detective was already staring at them. As if only waiting to be acknowledged before he went to where the investigator is.

Myungsoo walked calmly, though it was utter chaos in his head. Investigator Kwon is his senior by a decade. He have high respects for the said man and looking back to their irresponsibility, he can't help but feel like that little kid again who is about to get scolded by his father.

"Investigator Kwon. I presume you already know what happened." He said in his calmest voice. 

Sunggyu just stared as the two is having a mental battle, waiting for the other to give in before he heard a sigh escape from the detective's mouth.

The younger gestured to the Investigator to start his speech.

"The two of you screwed up. You know that and you admit to it right?" His eyes watched the both of them like a predator. When they nodded, the investigator snapped.

"Then first of all, why in the world did you not disclose the fact that a DNA sample was found on the latest victim to the rest of the team ,namely me and Chief Lee? Do you think it was right for the two of you to just keep this vital information all to yourself? And if it isn't bad enough, you made a delay on getting the said evidence. Where were you and what were you doing after Dr. Shin shared the info with you?"

Myungsoo started to speak but was again cut off by the now fuming investigator.

"That was a rhetorical question, Detective, if you failed to get it. I don't care where you were or what you were doing within the few hours of knowing the existence of such information. It is of utmost important and paramount that dealing with evidences must be placed over and above anything else. You of all people Detective Kim know that evidences are very much put at risk as time passes by with it on standby." The older huffed.

"And you Doctor Kim, if I don't know you I would've let you off the hook. But you've been involved in a whole lot of criminal cases that it would be impossible to believe that you weren't aware of this fact. Second-"

Sunggyu internally sighed. Of course there's to follow. He said first of all after all. His eyes landed on the detective who has his head bowed down.

"When you came in here the next morning, or simply just this morning. I have no problems with you attending to Dr. Shin as I've always said over and over again that health is also important. Because what would we be if not for our sound and healthy minds? Anyway, the fact that you let over an hour pass without immediately calling for back up or for the whole team to start the investigation irks me to no end."

He glared at Sunggyu and Myungsoo before he continued, making sure he still has the other two's rapt attention. He then continued.

"And where were you from just now?" 

Sunggyu exhaled first before he started to speak, because it seems like the detective was still processing what the investigator has told them.

"W-we went to some place." He said, unsure whether to tell the older where they were. But seeing the vein popping in the Investigator's forehead, he wished he could take it back and just be specific.

"How vague can you be? Detective Kim, I demand an honest and a specific answer to my question. Where were the two of you?"

Detective Kim flinched. He knew there's no other way out anymore. They'd be scolded whether he tells the truth or not. So he settled for the former.

"We went to Dr. Nam Woohyun, sir." 

If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, Sunggyu would have laughed and mocked the younger. He only ever addressed people as madams and sirs when he was afraid of the said person. But it was a serious one, so he faked a cough and settled back to his serious face.

"No time for dilly-dallying Detective Kim. I wouldn't ask again. You should be the one to answer completely." Investigator Kwon said.

This time Myungsoo held his hand, rubbing it softly and he bit his lip. He knew.. he knew what they did wasn't right. But at the spur of the moment , it seemed right.

Before Investigator Kwon explodes, Sunggyu took the stage and the spotlight away from Myungsoo.

"Investigator Kwon, we went to Dr. Nam Woohyun as we believe that he might somehow be involved in this."

"And what is your basis on that assumption?"

"Dr. Shin... She lost her memories of approximately two months worth. She isn't one to watch television so there is a slim to no chance of her recognizing celebrities. But when Myung.. but when Detective turned on the tv and was flipping channel, Dr. Shin caught sight of the show Dr. Nam hosts. And if it wasn't Dr. Shin, we would have thought it was nothing. But her voice was frantic and her eyes are full of panic. She had the look of a traumatized person seeing the object of the said trauma. And in this case, we assumed that Dr. Nam Woohyun is somehow involved in this whole fiasco." Sunggyu finished, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was running out of breath.

The Investigator seemed to think it over before he cast a suspicious glance over Detective Kim.

"Detective Kim, when you said you visited Dr. Nam Woohyun, it was in private and is very much legal, right?" The look the investigator had in his face is one that suggests he knows it isn't clearly the truth.

Myungsoo shifted and looked at the other's eyes, though quite hesitant.

"Well, you see, Investigator Kwon.. uhm we kinda went to the broadcasting station where Woohyun was filming his show?" It sounded like a question instead of a statement. The Investigator's brow furrowed.

"Tell me you didn't approach him in front of a number of people. Tell me you were careful. And tell me you at least had enough sense to bring with you a warrant. " But as he said this, he had rubbed his temple. He knew. He knew it wasn't the case, if the look of horror and guilt on the duo's face is anough evidence.

"What the hell??!" He shouted, which garnered the attention of everyone within five meters. The people inside were professional enough to go back to their work and pretend like nothing is happening out of the ordinary. Like the yelling and cursing from a senior investigator is of a daily basis in an investigation.

"Detective Kim Myungsoo, if people wrongfully assume Dr. Nam Woohyun as part of the suspect list for this case, you know it would be trouble not only for the two of you but also to Dr. Nam? We should do everything in our abilities to find the Grim reaper, without destroying any innocent lives along the way. You should face serious setbacks on this irresponsible behavior. For now, you should step away from here. Give it a rest for the day. Come back tomorrow and work even more than you have worked these past few days, or in your case Detective Kim, these past few months. I can't believe how disappointed I am that you took uncalculated risks in this case." The investigator released a sigh and then turned his back on them, once again. 

The duo took that as their cue to leave.

X

Nam Woohyun spent a good hour in the dressing room before deciding to go home.

Not home as his apartment in the heart of Seoul but rather, his home where he spent his childhood. He's returning to his hometown.

The events that has unfolded in the past few days have left him shaken. He had to regain his energy. He needed to be himself again. And visiting his old home is the perfect, if not the best,solution.

He drove slowly, once in a while singing along the songs that played on his car radio. It takes at least three hours to arrive at his hometown. It's quite the distance. But it's not like travelling from here to there is something out of the ordinary. He stopped at a gasoline station, seeking to refill his car and at the same time take a few minutes to rest before driving again. When he finished refilling gas, he sat on the driver's seat once again, he tilted the seat backward so now he's leaning back. A few moments after he just closed his eyes, he heard a familiar tone from his mobile phone. A smile unknowingly crept up to his face. He knew who was the one on the other line, even without looking at the caller ID. The ringtone was especially made for that certain person.

He sat right back up as he snatched his phone from the passenger seat. He eagerly put the phone on his ear. Oh how he missed to hear his voice.

"Hi baby."

Woohyun managed to tap down the giggle that was forming on his throat, but the blush that crept on his cheeks can't be stopped upon hearing the other's voice.

"Hello." His voice came out cracked.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry I couldn't be with you as of the moment. How was the taping? I hope everything has gone well." The concern on the voice of the person on the other line is evident. And with that, Woohyun couldn't fight back the giggle anymore.

The other line went silent before it spoke once again, "I miss you."

He stopped giggling. He felt his face burn and as he stared at the rearview mirror, he saw his face burning red.

"I miss you too. So damn much. I hope you're here beside me while I drive home." He said. It was true. He missed the man. He remembered his father teasing him that even if he saw his lover just a couple minutes ago, he'd still miss the other so much as if they haven't seen each other for a year or so.

He chuckled at the thought which did not surprise the other man. After all, Woohyun would always laugh at times like this.

"I'll hang up now, baby. I'll try to be with you later, if work permits."

Woohyun nodded, as if forgetting his assent won't be communicated well to the other line if he didn't utter a word of approval.

"Ok baby. I'll see you soon."

"I love you. You know that right?" He scoffed. Of course he know. They wouldn't be together otherwise.

"I know. And I love you more. So much more." He said and then he went silent, waiting for the other to end the call. A few minutes later and they both ended up laughing, neither seemed too eager to finish the call. But it was soon darkening and Woohyun still had two more hours worth of travelling before arriving at his hometown. So he gingerly said another goodbye to the other and pressed the end call button.

When the call finished, he leaned back on his chair once again. As he stared at the name of the caller placed on top of his call logs.

Baby.

His friend, his brother, his lover. He is everything at once and he could never really put words into the feeling he has for the other man. Loving him and being loved by him was by far the best thing he ever had in his life.

And it probably must be the worst. Said a tiny part of his mind.

 

Two and a half hours later, Woohyun was walking through the lobby of a huge house located on the high-end area of Jeonju. 

No matter how many times he returned here, he would always get attacked by nostalgia. The house is always kept clean and the scent always kills him.

The scent all but reminds him of how his mother smelled when she was still alive. He remembered the soft scent of vanilla and strawberry lingering all over the house when he arrives home from school. He would then go to the kitchen and find his mom on the kitchen, preparing sweets for her dear Woohyun.

He could never ever forget the smile his mother had when he randomly hugs her or when he says how much he loves her. When he tells her he is the luckiest person for having the best mom, she would always have tears in her eyes as she hugs him tightly.

Now it was but a bittersweet memory. His mother had died a few years ago. If it were a natural death he might not be as broken as he is right now.  
But as it is, he thinks that his mother was wrongfully taken away from their family. At that time, he started questioning the existence of God. He started questioning the fairness of the decision of taking someone's life. Why? Why was his mom taken? Why not the putrid souls of the criminals? Those who take other people's lives... Shouldn't they be the one to leave the world first and not the kind people like his mother?

 

He was stopped from his musings when a pair of arms snaked around his waist. Not a second later and he felt his lover's chin resting on his left shoulder.

"Are you thinking of her again?" 

There's no need to answer, Woohyun knows that. But he decided to humor his lover and nodded, even though he knows the man already knows the answer.

The other hummed and began swaying their bodies. Woohyun never knew what sadness was before this man arrived in his life. And he sure doesn't know happiness after his parents died. Happiness he easily found on his lover's arms.

He turned around to face his lover. He cupped his face and just stayed that way, unmoving, staring at each other's eyes. Then he asked,

"What are you doing here? Is anything the matter?" No matter how much he missed his lover, he would never ever let him choose him over the other's job. As a professional himself, Woohyun thinks it's highly impractical to dedicate more hours to him instead of the job they worked so hard to have 

Especially in their case.

Woohyun has countlessly assured his lover that he will always be here, that he will always be by his lover's side, even when up becomes down and left becomes right. He will stay, no matter what. 

And he once again remembered his father's voice, now reprimanding instead of the teasing tone he usually uses on his son.

"You love too much, son." He remembered his father saying those words out of the blue, when he just arrived home from a date with his lover.

"And isn't that a good thing, father? Mother said there's nothing bad about loving someone wholeheartedly." He remembered answering back.

His father only shook his head once. He remembered because it was the last conversation he ever had with his father. Before he was taken away from him again. Just like his mother.

At that point, Woohyun decided god does not exist and is nothing more than just a name created so that people can have someone to blame when things don't work out. That's why he became a man of science. 

So was his lover.

The feeling of lips on his own woke him up from his daydream. It doesn't take too long before he responds. After all, as of late, they haven't done anything close to this romantic due to their busy schedules. 

The once innocent liplock transformed into a heated make out session, their tongues seeking dominance over the other. Their hands frantic over removing the other's clothing. They managed to enter the bedroom before they were stark naked. They devoured each other like dishes served only on special occasions: hungrily, if not bordering to gluttony.

They became one in more ways than one. After a few rounds of intense lovemaking, the two settled down on the bed, lying on their sides, facing each other.

Woohyun could only marvel at the look of pure love he saw on his lover's eyes. The other man touched his cheek lovingly, and Woohyun can't do anything but to close his eyes, feeling all the love his lover have for him with just one stroke of his hand.

The men held his gaze for a few moments before pecking his lips softly.

"Thank you." The man said. Two words and yet it was enough for Woohyun to know that his lover was very much sincere.

"I should be the one saying that. Thank you, really. For everything. " he smiled tenderly.

"Anything for you baby" the man replied back, and with that the both of them drifted off to sleep.

Woohyun was softly awaken by a hand in his hand. He opened his eyes and was greeted by the lovely sight of his smiling lover.

"Good morning, baby." His lover kissed him on the lips which he playfully pushed away.

"I have morning breath, stop. It's embarrassing."

His lover cooed. He then proceeded to kissing Woohyun full on, with tongue. Woohyun could pretend to be stubborn but the feeling of the lips pressed against his has won.   
His lover reluctantly broke off the kiss, which left a whining Woohyun. The man laughed at his adorable lover. Some things just never change. Woohyun is still as cute as before, if not more.

"Look baby, I have to go now. Things are a bit tense at work. What with all the things happening." Woohyun watched his lover sigh and he nodded in understanding. 

"It's ok baby. I told you, it's ok to prioritize work over me. You worked hard for it."

"But I worked hard for you too" his lover pouted. Oh how Woohyun would love to wipe out that pout with his lips but in consideration to his lover's job, he let it slide. For now.

"I know I know. Now go before I change my mind and tie you in this bed so you can't go to work. And I'm dead serious." 

His lover chuckled. This may sound poetic but his lover's laughter is the best sound he had ever heard. Love makes people really sappy. But he has no regrets.

He looked up at his lover, mouth slightly agape as he stared ar the art in front of him. The art that has stolen his heart and bargained his own in return.

"Okay, I'll really go now. See you when I see you?"

Woohyun glared at the man.  
"Easy, baby. I was just kidding. Of course I'll inform you ahead of time. Don't want you tripping on your feet out of excitement because the love of your life decided to make a surprise visit." The man then put a chaste kiss on Woohyun's lips and ran outside, before Woohyun managed to throw a punch at his lover's beautiful face.  
He just shook his head when he heard echoes of laughter came in from the lobby until the front door is shut closed. He waited until he heard the unmistakable revving of his lover's Porsche before he started to get up from bed.  
He looked around the house. He really has nothing to do. All the rooms are clean, except maybe for the bedroom because of their activity last night. Not to mention there are no laundries too. The only thing he can do for himself at this house is to cook his own meal, and that is what he's really going to do.  
He passed by the living room and his eyes caught the sight of a photo album from a decade ago, when he was still in his early teens.  
He then decided while he's here all alone, without the presence of his lover constantly tempting and seducing him, he might as well just really go on a trip down memory lane.

"Today is gonna be a loooong day."

 

The next day, Sunggyu and Myungsoo managed to meet each other on their way to Dr. Shin's office. They didn't receive any news about any evidences being hauled up from the team's investigation yesterday. They have no problems with that as it would only mean they could still do their job in looking for evidences. All they're hoping for right now is that Investigator Kwon has finally calmed down from his outburst yesterday.

They are at fault, and they know it. That's why they are only holding on to hope that Investigator Kwon will stop looking at them like they have done the worst crimes in the world.  
When they arrived however, they were not met with the usual stern face or even the solid back profile of the investigator. Myungsoo and Sunggyu looked around the room, not believing for once that the man is not here. Since it was all so clear yesterday that he was out as a task-maker for the whole team, so it would be a surprise if he's not here leading the team regarding everything about evidence gathering.

When their necks hurt from all the swinging side to side, they or rather Myungsoo, poked the person nearest him and asked for Investigator Kwon.  
Please tell me he's not around.

"Well obviously he's not here." Smartass.  
The both of them was very much willing to forgive the other's discrepancies, if not for the words that followed.

"He's just outside taking a call from who-knows-who"  
And just when they thought they could be happy because it's a huge load off their body.  
Myungsoo sighed audibly while Sunggyu rubbed his temple, in a midly frightened and mildly cocky manner. 

The detective approached the person who's busily typing something on the laptop placed beside Dr. Shin's own laptop. The expert's fingers furiously tapped on each keys and all they see on the screen are little green characters all over. Myungsoo almost stops himself from asking when the said expert raised both his arms and a huge smile is plastered on his face.   
"Uh.. what just happened?" The detective asked dumbly.  
The expert flinched, as if he was just made aware of the presence near him. He saw the detective and hurriedly stood up to bow.  
"Good morning, Detective Kim. I am Son Youngtaek, an IT expert working under the government. I've been looking for ways to recover the files from Dr. Shin's hard drive and after a few coffees and a sleepless night, I found it! I've developed a system of codes that could counterattack the ones that are encoded by the grim reaper. With this, there is a huge probability that we recover all of the documents stored."

The detective was grinning widely, but when he turned to look at his Sunggyu hyung, seriousness was written all over his face. Maybe he doesn't want to get his hopes up with this information.

He cleared his throat and turned back to Youngtaek.  
"And how long would that possibly take?"   
The young man's eyes rolled up, probably calculating the hours it would take before they could all crack the code and recover the documents.  
"Hmmm, more or less, it would be in about 4-5 hours? Yeah, it can't be more than 5 hours." Youngtaek said.

The detective nodded. He then thanked the young man and left to go to Sunggyu, who was on his way out the door. He jogged to reach his hyung and then tapped his shoulder.

"Hyung, this is good news, right?" He asked.  
Sunggyu gave him a catatonic stare but only for a second or so and was replaced by his usual face   
"Hm yeah.. It's.. it's really good. It's great. Uhm, look Myungsoo, i have to go make a call. It's imp-"

"Oh no, you can't go out! The both of you, stay!" Investigator half-shouted as he entered the room. His frows were burrowed and his ears are red. His nose is flaring and Myungsoo can't stop thinking of those cartoon characters where smoke billows out of their ears and noses due to anger.

The duo stopped in their tracks and remained there. They watched as the investigator stomped on his way to them. When he reached them, he held out a long breath as if calming himself, and looked at the other people inside the room.

"You. All of you except Detective and Doctor Kim, out. Right. Now."

As if sensing the investigator's temper, it didn't take long for every one to scurry their way out.   
When every one was out, Investigator Kwon turned to them.

"Look what your irresponsibility did!" He said, his hands on his hips as he walked to and fro.  
The duo was confused. What is he talking about? At this time, Dr. Kim took on the initiative to ask what the matter is, albeit gently 

"Investigator Kwon, what exactly are you talking about?"   
He flinched as the said man landed a heated glare at him. The investigator then fished his phone out of his pockets and then tapped a few times before he almost shoved his phone screen to Sunggyu's face   
At first, all he saw was a white page full of blurred words. But then his eyes finally adjusted and his eyes widened. He scanned the page and then turned to look at the detective, then at the investogator, with horror evident on his face.

"Yes! That's what you should feel, goddamnit! See what your irresponsibility did? Someone's reputation is being shredded by social media hounds! For fuck's sake!" Investigator Kwon's veins was now palpable on his neck and forehead.

Myungsoo snatched the phone away from Investigator Kwon's grasp, not minding that it might result to more anger on the investigator's side. 

He scrolled through the page and in every line he reads, his eyes bulge out more. By the end of the page, his eyes are almost out of its sockets.

He looked at the still fuming investigator who by now is trying to calm his breathing. He looked at his side and watch the dark expression take over Sunggyu's face.

He muttered an apology to the investigator and waited for his response.  
It took a few more minutes before he managed to hear a response from Investigator Kwon. 

He looked up and saw the investigator rubbing his temples, trying to be calm. The investigator released a sigh and told them to just hope everything will be okay.

"I just hope we can uncover some reliable evidence. Relevant enough to bury this issue of Dr. Nam."  
He huffed once and then in a more calm voice said,

"Alright. Call in the team and work harder. Go go" he clapped, clearly dismissing the two.

Myungsoo moved to the door and called the others to come in and continue their work. Investigator Kwon resumed to managing the team.

He looked around for Sunggyu and didn't manage to find him. He just shrugged it off, thinking his hyung is probably in the restroom.

He then went to Youngtaek and talked to the young man about what happened when they were gone.

X

Woohyun woke up with a slight headache. He lifted his head from the sofa's neck and tried to sit up properly. He looked for the source of his awakening. He spotted his phone on the coffee table and heard the familiar ringtone. He suppressed a smile as he clicked the answer button.

"He-" he started to say but was cut off by his lover's rapid words   
"Baby, baby are you still at home? Mmm can you promise me one thing?" The urgency in his voice scared Woohyun.

"What is it? What's wrong? What's happening?" He shot a rapid fire of questions.

"Just.. just promise me not to open any SNS today okay? Please. I'll call you back when it's over."   
Before he can respond, he heard the click which signals the call has already been ended.  
He wondered what it could be. He tried to pay heed to his lover's words   
But curiosity and Woohyun has never and will never be a good pair. It only took an hour before curiosity finally consumed him.  
He hurriedly connected online and heard multiple pings, telling him he has received a lot of e-mails.  
He swiped it to the left but was then replaced by other e-mails. A new email he received popped up and in it is a devil emoji with a link on it.  
He reluctantly clicked the link and regretted not ever listening to his lover's advice.

As Joseph Conrad said, "The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness."

Indeed.

He looked once again at the page he has opened and a lone tear escaped his eye.

"Indeed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohyun received hate mails guys, hence the emoji and the link. And uh you probably know where it leads..the SNS thing i mean. Please don't hate me on the next chapter. I love my mandu the most ❤


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